Rebel, sweetheart.

1.15.2017

Seoul Searching | Haru & One Day.

A few days before my flight to South Korea, my childhood friend Kay sent me a message on Facebook asking if we could meet-up in Seoul on the 16th (of December). She was flying from Chicago to Manila for the holidays, and will have a 12-hour layover in Seoul. I was so happy at the thought of catching-up with my first-ever best friend whom I have not seen in years; there was no chance in hell that I would miss this opportunity to spend time with her even for just a few hours.

I offered to fetch her at Myeongdong, but she wanted to explore other parts of Seoul and insisted on visiting the neighborhood where we live. As such, I suggested to meet-up at Haru & One Day, which I have been wanting to visit since it began operation last Autumn. Owned by Lee Donghae of Super Junior, the cafe is located near exit 4 of Seongsu Station, so I figured Kay wouldn't have a hard time finding it.

Haru & One Day!

True enough, she did not have any difficulty locating the cafe and even came earlier than I did -considering that my place was just a few bus stops away. Good thing the cafe opens as early as 7am!

Christmas feels inside Haru & One Day.

I spotted Kay as soon as I entered the cafe. Save for the eyeglasses, my friend looked pretty much the same since the last time we saw each other - and that was like, more than a decade ago! This girl doesn't seem to age! :)

The counter. They even have blankets, which you can use to keep yourselves warm.

Kay already finished a cup of coffee when I got there, and she seemed to have enjoyed the latte that she had. Made me all the more excited to try Haru & One Day's coffee, and cake, too! We headed to the counter, where they have a variety of cakes on display.

Haru's selection of cakes and desserts.

The menu.

They also have a decent selection of drinks - from coffee, milk, and tea, to smoothies and beer, even.

I settled for good ol' Caramel Macchiato and a serving of Tiramisu. Kay initially had a hard time choosing which tea to order so the barista offered some suggestions and even let her take a whiff of the tea leaves displayed near the cashier. She ended up choosing the Pure Green Tea, together with a slice of Milky Roll.

Tea selection.

After paying for our order, we were given this thingamajig also known as the 'wireless queue calling system'.It didn't take long for our number to be called. There were only a few customers during that time, as the cafe has just began operation for the day.

Because in Korea, everything is digital. ;)

Here's what we had.

Breakfast, haha! :)

Tiramisu.

Milky Roll.

We loved how both cakes are moist and creamy, without being overly sweet.

Haru & Friday!

I like that their coffee is not scalding hot, and that their cups are wrapped in quirky sleeves with the day of the week written on it. We came on a Friday, hence the 'Haru & Friday'.

Cozy and Christmas-y. :)

The cafe's ambiance is noteworthy, too. With its minimalist design, spacious interior, neutral colors, and lots of sunlight coming through the windows, Haru & One Day is an all too perfect venue for meeting up with friends, enjoying some quiet time with a good book, or even telecommuting. The cafe offers free wi-fi, and customers are free to use their electrical sockets in case your phone or laptop runs out of battery.

Reunited!

Fans of Donghae and Super Junior can also purchase Haru & One Day merchandise such as mugs, tumblers, canvas bags, and shirts. These items are displayed on the rack across the counter, with prices ranging from 16000 won to 60000 won.

Haru & One Day merchandise.

Kay and I spent about an hour or so at the cafe, catching up on a decade's worth of stories and life events. If not for Kay's craving for Korean street food, (we ended up going to Myeongdong afterwards) we would've stayed at Haru & One Day for one whole day!

Succulents.

I actually visited the cafe again on the eve of our flight back to the Philippines. I took the boys with me, and even my husband enjoyed their coffee. We even chanced upon Donghae's mom and his brother, Dong Hwa, but I was too shy to take photos with them as they were meeting with the staff and preparing to close for the day.